HOW TO GET ORGANIZED IN THE NEW YEAR

For the last four years, I have picked a word to focus on (I’ll be sharing my one little word for 2018 on Friday) and when I started doing this little task in 2014 my first word I chose to focus on was simplify. Not only did it help me throughout that year but it is something I have carried with me ever since and it has helped change my life. I am by no means an expert but over the years I have picked up quite a few tricks and tips to keep things less complicated. I am constantly working on trying to make things even more simple but here’s six things I do right now to keep myself organized and on track so I’m not overwhelmed at the end of the day.

1. Have a family calendar. We’ve had a family calendar for the last three years and it has been the only thing that has kept our family focused on on top of things. Andrew travels a lot for work so it’s nice to know when he is or isn’t going to be home especially when it comes to planning meals or scheduling friends or family to visit.

2. Declutter your house. I’m biased to this because we’ve moved five times in the last three years so every time we move I just want to get rid of all my things because I don’t want to move them! But in all seriousness, things you don’t use or even remember you have only cause stress on yourself and clutter your home. My rule of thumb is if I haven’t used it or thought about it in the last year, I really need to consider if it’s worth keeping. Our first house had a basement which we took advantage of so much but ever since then we haven’t had one so we can only keep a limited amount of things before we literally run out of room. I could make a whole post up on this so I won’t go on with this but trust me when I say you can’t get organized in your home until you get rid of the things you don’t need.

3. Do one load of laundry every day. I started doing this early last year and I didn’t realize how much it would help me until I really committed to doing laundry every day. My mind has peace knowing it’s not piling up for a week or two because I never have to devote a full day of doing just laundry if I throw a load in every day. I throw a load of laundry in probably five days a week and the only thing that ever piles up is the folded laundry in baskets because I have to put it away. It’s amazing how much easier it is to wash, dry and fold just one load of laundry than it is to do a weeks worth. I’m not a big fan of this chore so anything to make it easier I can get on board with.

4. Meal plan. Meal planning is still not easy for me and up until the last year and a half, I would always wait until 3 or 4pm before I was thinking about what I could scrounge up for dinner. It was so stressful! Now I try to meal plan every week, even if I have only four meals for the week I know I can add a pizza night in there or a leftover night and then have a free night of trying a new recipe or having Andrew cook dinner. It puts my mind at ease to know I don’t need to figure this out at 3pm everyday.

5. Find a planner that works for your needs. I have the Simplified Planner by Emily Ley and I adore it. There’s so much space to write down your lists and schedule throughout the days and weeks. I’ve tried so many planners in the past and I always come back to this one. I have the academic calendar planner because now that the girls are in “school” (really a Mothers Day Out program), it’s easier to keep track of what’s going on in their calendar year.

6. Schedule time to do something active for your body. I’ve always been really active and into going to the gym but every time I was there I never knew what to do and I never found my niche class that fueled me up. I made 2017 the year to figure out what group class fired me up and motivated to be there every single week. It turns Body Barre makes my body feel amazing and really helps with my toning. I adore my Body Barre class and if you ever have a chance to take one, I would highly recommend it! Basically what I’m saying is, you need to find something to keep yourself active and moving so you can care for your body because it will make a world of difference. Whether that’s going for a quick run in the morning before anyone wakes up or taking the dog for a walk or even going to an indoor trampoline place with your kids and getting exercise there (you might laugh but I’m always exhausted after I do this!), if you find something you enjoy you’ll be more willing to move your body!